News Headlines:

Now, Navy joins the war on pirates

27 Oct 2009, 0927 hrs IST

The
Navy has decided that it is time India did something to curb piracy in the
Indian Ocean. The Indian Navy has commissioned two warships to counter the
Somali threat. More than a hundred Indians have been held hostage by Somali
pirates in the last one year. Following this, the Indian Navy is slated to
deploy two warships near Mauritius and the Seychelles. The mission is to join
forces with neighbouring nations and eradicate piracy.

Captain
Manohar Nambiar, Chief PRO, Defence (Western Region) said, "We can confirm to
you that the Indian Navy now has a presence in that region. We can not speak
much about operations there but yes, our ships are into surveillance activities.
This is apart from our ship already patrolling the Gulf of Aden."

The
INS Tabar, a warship sent last year to counter the pirates of Somalia, will be
deployed. Joining the Tabar will be the INS Shardul, a fully armed amphibious
ship which can carry more than 500 troops, and the ICGS Varuna, an offshore
patrol vessel armed to the teeth. The Varuna can travel 4000 nautical miles at a
stretch, enough to go around the world.

TIMES NOW's Correspondent
Jugal Purohit reports, "With the Somalian pirates opening up a new front and
growing increasingly belligerent towards Indian interests, navy sources tell us,
these warships will remain in the region for as long as is required. Not just
that, the aim of these ships is to completely disrupt the newly formed theatre
of the Somalian pirates with the active assistance of navies of Mauritius and
Seychelles."

The Navy is gearing for war against the pirates and not
without reason. The government may have been slow in reacting to the Somalian
threat, but with this strategic move, the Navy hopes to counter the piracy
menace with an iron fist.